Amazon now lets smart cameras and doorbells talk to Echo devices

Amazon is introducing some new software tools allowing developers to connect smart cameras and doorbells to Echo devices. Specifically, Amazon has released the Doorbell Event Source, Motion Sensor, and Alexa.RTCSessionController APIs (application programming interfaces) in the US, with additional regions coming soon.

What each API offers to Alexa and Echo devices is different, of course. For example, smart doorbells can now ping all Echo devices to make an announcement, alerting you to a visitor or transmitting a message. The Motion Sensor API reports on the state of endpoints, which is useful for security cameras and could let the devices detect movement in a given area. And finally, the Alexa.RTCSessionController can establish a two-way link between smart displays like the Echo Show and Echo Spot.

Third-party devices will also support the new APIs, and devices from Ring, which Amazon previously acquired in February this year, already have implemented the Alexa.RTCSessionController API. August smart locks will also follow suit, Amazon says.

These are just a few of the upcoming improvements to Alexa’s API, a few of which Amazon announced at an event in Seattle last month.